Although there are literature procedures which have been used successfully to prepare certain substituted acrolein compounds, there is, as yet, no known method reported for the manufacture of 2-alkoxy methylacrolein.
Alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes such as 2-alkoxymethylacrolein are useful in the preparation of substituted pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylates, which are key intermediates in the manufacture of a new class of imidazolinone herbicides. The use of .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated aldehydes in the preparation of pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylates is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,011, 4,948,896 and 5,008,392.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a convenient and effective method for the manufacture of 2-alkoxymethylacrolein compounds useful in the preparation of the herbicide intermediates.